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In 2008, the U.S. Geological Survey took 3.6 million images acquired by Landsat satellites and made them free and openly available on the Internet. Dating back to 1972, the images are detailed enough to show the impact of human decisions on the land, and they provide the longest continuous view of Earth’s landscape from space.

In recent years, a new breed of LiDAR system has emerged, enabling collection from much higher altitudes and at higher resolutions. These Geiger-mode sensors differ in several ways from the traditional linear-mode LiDAR commonly used in commercial airborne systems.

From new platforms, such as unmanned aircraft systems (UASs) and cubesats, to new sensors, such as light detection and ranging (LiDAR) technology, the amount of remotely sensed data is increasing exponentially. How do we make sense of all these pieces of data and turn them into geospatial intelligence (GEOINT)?

Scanning hard-copy data makes digital historic imagery accessible, virtually organized and easily distributed. By Doug Joos and Joe Cantz, Woolpert (www.woolpert.com), Dayton, Ohio. Many government agencies and businesses have aerial photo-graphy prints and large map sheets that document the past, many of which date back to the early 1900s. These prints and maps are vital

Advances in spaceborne remote sensing have led to a wide variety of sensors for environmental and natural resources mapping and data acquisition. By Assefa M. Melesse, Qihao Weng, Prasad S. Thenkabail and Gabriel B. Senay. Melesse is a professor with the Department of Earth & Environment, Florida International University (www.earthenvironment.flu.edu), Miami. Weng is the director

The continuing integration of Earth imagery and GIS is revolutionizing the geospatial industry and empowering users. By Matteo Luccio, founder and president of Pale Blue Dot. Geospatial technology is changing. Now geographic information system (GIS) software is ingesting, organizing and visualizing data from a rapidly growing assortment of remote sensing platforms and sensors; 2D is

Mobile LiDAR has become an effective solution for rapid data collection in recent years. For example, using mobile LiDAR imaging, the Utah Department of Transportation recently undertook a groundbreaking inventory of numerous roadway assets. Laser scanning is helping many state agencies comply with a new federal law requiring them to digitally map the U.S. National

Competition is expected to heat up in the global Earth observation data market, with an ever-increasing number of satellites and new companies looking to expand their business. By Adam Keith, director of space and Earth observation, Euroconsult (www.euroconsult-ec.com), Montreal, Canada. From 2004–2013, 162 Earth observation (EO) satellites were launched by civil government and commercial entities

Last year saw the birth of many new commercial endeavors aimed at taking advantage of the widespread commercialization of space to expand the number of low Earth orbit Earth observation satellite constellations. Satellogic (www.satellogic.com) recently announced plans for a constellation of its own satellites, called CubeBugs, after successfully launching and testing two satellites in 2013.

Collaborative efforts enhance the ability to capture and analyze data from multiple sources to effectively detect, deter, and respond to natural and man-made threats. By Matteo Luccio, founder and president of Pale Blue Dot The current explosion in the variety, capability and sheer number of sensors is generating a flood of data intended to enhance